NEW DELHI: The BJP alleged on Saturday that two tribal women were stripped naked and tortured three days ago in West Bengal’s Malda district while police remained a "mute spectator".
Showing a video of the alleged incident, the party’s IT cell head Amit Malviya, who is also BJP’s co-incharge for West Bengal described the attackers as “a frenzied mob baying for her blood."
He also posted a video with blurred images of the crime.
The BJP raised the issue hours after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the issue of violence in Manipur saying, “BJP’s Beti Bachao campaign has turned into Beti Jalao in reality”.
Accusing the BJP of politicising the incident, Shashi Panja, a minister of Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, said the two women were caught while stealing from the local market and a group of women tried to take law and order into their hands.
“It was a case of theft where two local women tried to steal something from the market. A group of women caught them and tried to take law and order into their hands. Out of public outrage, the women were beaten up. This should not have happened. The female civic volunteer tried to help the women but the group of attackers overpowered her. Police rescued the two women and a suo motu case was registered,” said the minister for Women and Child Development.
Video footage of the incident shows, a group of women assaulting two women with slippers and tearing their clothes.
Local people told police that five tribal women from the Manikchak area of the district, who had come to the local market to sell their product, were caught stealing from other women. Three of them managed to escape, but two women were caught.
Hitting out at the TMC-led Bengal government Malviya tweeted, “The horror continues in West Bengal. Two tribal women were stripped naked, tortured and beaten mercilessly, while police remained a mute spectator in Pakua Hat area of Bamangola police station.”
"It had all the making of a tragedy that should have 'broken' Mamata Banerjee's heart and she, instead of merely outraging, could have acted, since she is also the home minister of Bengal," he said, attacking the state's chief minister who has been strident in criticising the Manipur incident.
Criticising Mamata over the incident, Malviya said, “Neither did she (Mamata) condemn the barbarity nor did she express pain and anguish because it would have exposed her own failing as a chief minister.”
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, while pointing out atrocities against women in Opposition-ruled states like Bihar and Rajasthan said the BJP’s national president had sent a team of women MPs to Bengal who were shaken up after visiting the state. Referring to the state minister’s incident, he said the state government does not consider the Malda episode as a crime.
BJP’s allegation came a day after the party’s leadership claimed that a woman candidate in the panchayat polls was disrobed and paraded at Panchla in Howrah district.
Director General of Police Manoj Malviya on Friday said there was no evidence or witness corroborating the allegation. “We asked the victim to produce the injury report and record a statement before a court but she is yet to come forward,” he said.
Both the CPI(M) and Congress leaders in Bengal described the Malda incident as unfortunate.
The horror continues in West Bengal. Two Tribal women were stripped naked, tortured and beaten mercilessly, while police remained a mute spectator in Pakua Hat area of Bamangola Police Station, Malda.
The horrific incident took place on the morning of 19th July. The women… pic.twitter.com/tyve54vMmg